Make sure that they have a solid financial base, especially a credit score.

Mom was an accountant, so she handled all the money.  Everything was in her name.

Their house was paid off long ago, neither had a credit card, they paid cash for everything.

Mom died two years ago and this year dad had to return her leased truck.  His Explorer died and he had been using the truck.

He had his eye on a Jeep Grand Cherokee to lease, but without a credit score, his lease would have been over 500 a month.

Now my sister and I are trying to figure out ways to help, and hoping he will take it.

We will both co-sign for him, but we fear he won’t take it.

So we will see what we can do.

Just a heads up for anyone whose parents are the pay cash for everything type.

Interesting point and good PSA, usually this would be a problem the other way

Why not co-sign on a purchase? How long do you foresee him driving/ needing the vehicle?

Probably cheaper to just Uber everywhere

Why on earth would someone who is the "pay cash for everything type" want to lease a vehicle?

This is really bizarre "aging parent" advice.

Why not just have him buy a reliable used car?

One of us could absolutely co sign.

You ever deal with a 73 year old Alabama boy who retired as a Sgt after 26 years?  Who turned 60 in a war zone?

Just a little bit of pride at work there.  A goeth before the fall kinda pride.

Because his monthly income is quite good, his bills are low, and he wants a nice vehicle to drive in.

For older people who don’t drive much, leasing isn’t a bad way to go.

Even though GD says leasing is stupid.

If he had a good credit rating, which he should have, he could get a Jeep Grand Cherokee with all the bells and whistles for 300 a month, no down payment, just like the Ram truck he is turning in.

He’s got 18k miles after 3 years on the Ram.

When old people get old, they don’t think they will make it another year, so leasing seems attractive, rather than buying.

No Uber where we live.

As others have said, this seems a bit odd.

Mom and dad worked their asses of their entire lives.  They put quite a bit of money into their retirements.

When they finally got older, they could enjoy the finer things.

After never buying a new vehicle, mom bought a truck for herself.  Dad bought used vehicles.

After the first truck was totaled when a guy lost control on a corner and hit her parked vehicle, mom was older and fatalistic.

So she started leasing.

She died before her second lease was up, dad kept it until it was time to turn it in.

Dad has enjoyed the truck, likes the idea of getting a new vehicle every three years, and makes enough where the payment will not hardly register.

If he buys a nice reliable used car, with all the bells and whistles, the payment will be close to the same as a leased vehicle.

He’s 73, in fairly good health, so what’s the difference?

He wants to keep the cash he has on hand, and continue making the payments he has been making.

If they can afford it, add long term care insurance as well.

Dad died at the kitchen table.  Zero claim which is the 'normal' outcome.  So far,  Genworth has paid about $60k to my mothers support in less than 12 months.

And the aging parent advice is simply to make sure they have a solid credit rating...

My father retired and started watching daytime TV commercials.  First he got a reverse mortgage.  Then he took a bunch of that money and bought GOLD.  After the price went up he sold it all and bought a condo in Hawaii.
This didn't really happen, please consider this a satirical post.

My dad's car is falling apart.

I keep telling him to get himself something really nice to enjoy. He has the money/credit to buy or lease whatever he wants but keeps soldiering the old POS down the road.
Poor guy hasn't had a brand new car since 1968. He always bought my mom new cars and just took over the old ones. She has been gone 6 years and he is still driving her old car (and no, he has no attachment to it based on that)